


The Momsome

by JustAndrea



Series: The Awesome Redemption Arc [9]
Category: Wander Over Yonder (Cartoon)
Genre: Arguing, Gen, Mother Issues, Mother-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 05:32:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15163739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: Compared to a year ago, Awesome seems to have everything under control now. He's stronger, smarter, and certainly worthy of being an emperor. However, there's still one obstacle left to tackle. After all, 'mother knows best'...





	The Momsome

**Author's Note:**

> LAST STORY IN THE ARC! Thank you to everyone who has read this far, and I hope you enjoy it! ^v^

The visit was unexpected, though he knew he should’ve expected one at some point. News as big as a new emperor was bound to get around.

The day had started out pretty standard. By this point in his emperor-career, Awesome had fallen into a fairly responsible routine.

He’d spend his mornings doing paperwork and completing various emperor duties, making sure his citizens were happy and that all of the Watchdog and Fistfighter reconstruction projects were still going well. Then, after lunch, he’d spend his afternoons hanging out with friends and doing whatever he wanted, figuring that even rulers deserved breaks. As for nights, they varied depending on how packed his schedule was. Some nights he’d be attending a gala or supervising one of his planet-wide parties, or preparing himself for a morning meeting. Other nights he’d be throwing down shots, practicing some cool new dance moves he had wanted to try, or just chillaxing in the ocean or his hot tub.

Naturally, this day was no different, and after what felt like boring-er paperwork than usual, the Emperor of Awesomeness was more than happy to get away from work for a while. And he was about to do just that, until Handy informed him that he had a visitor.

“Unless it’s an emergency, tell them I’m gonna have to pencil ‘em in for tonight,” Awesome had replied, already heading towards the door.

“It’s not an emergency, Sir,” the Butler began to say, “Although, she still insisted that she meet with you this instant, and I don’t believe I have the authority to tell her otherwise.”

Awesome stopped. She… There was only one woman that he knew of that had that much say on Aqualla. With a sigh, he got out his phone and texted Gnarly, letting him know that he’d meet him and the others at the Rock later. Handy was right, he definitely wouldn’t be able to push this meeting to later, unfortunately.

So there he was, sitting in one of the underwater levels of his castle, a cooling cup of tea in his hands. And across from him, the former empress of Aqualla - though frankly, it was her second, familial title that always seemed to intimidate Awesome the most…

Odellia hummed slightly as she observed him, looking down at her son through her tiny glasses. As always, she was dressed in the finest, flowing silk fabrics and pearls, making her look like a betta fish somewhat: Colorful and beautiful, but always ready to bite. “...You are not in your formal attire?” she asked, though her tone made it sound like a statement.

“Didn’t think I needed it since I was just hangin’ around the castle,” Awesome mumbled, crossing a leg.

“One might say that it is only natural for an emperor to always be dressed in his best, no matter the activity,” Odellia coolly replied. Awesome held back a scoff, instead just watching as his mother slowly sipped her tea, waiting for the interrogation to start. She stared back at him, and the more she watched, the stiffer he felt. He could already hear every critique she could have about his outfit, his diction, his posture, and anything else she could think of.

But he was no longer a prince. He was the emperor, and as frustrating as this was sure to be, he could handle this. That was what Awesome told himself, anyways.

“...So, this Lord Hater,” Odellia finally began, “Are you certain that he is a good ally for Aqualla?”

“Totes,” Awesome nodded. The orca narrowed her eyes, making Awesome wince. Right, can’t let all those ‘proper speaking’ lessons go to waste… “Yes,” he corrected himself, “Both Lord Hater and Commander Peepers will be excellent allies. I don’t know how much you know about them, but I know for a fact that they and their army are strong, as is their empire with all the planets that they’ve acquired recently. The two of them also helped me personally when I was in a… a pretty bad place. So, yes, we can trust them fully.”

Odellia hummed, not saying another word on the subject. Awesome took that as a good sign. Not saying anything was still better than be criticized or berated, right?

“...From what I’ve heard, you still aren’t interested in being a traditional emperor,” she said suddenly.

Aaaaand there it was. “Yeah well, if ‘not-traditional’ means trying to get some people here to chill a bit, and to help the Aquallians on the island get back on their feet, then yeah I guess I’m not very ‘traditional’, Mom.”

Odellia scoffed slightly. “I certainly hope you’re not giving those sun-soakers TOO much money, otherwise all they’ll do is ask for more-”

“They wouldn’t be asking for any at all if Zath hadn’t screwed them over!” Awesome retorted, not even trying to be polite and ‘proper’ now, “You can’t really forget that little detail!”

“I will admit, what Zatharie did was foolish,” Odellia told him, her scowl deepening, “He wouldn’t have been able to hold off a rebellion forever, even with his power. _However_ , it can be argued that making the choice to leave the ocean was also foolish. ‘Mother Ocean shall provide for  evermore, her waters creating plenty to-”

By this point, Awesome was slouching in his seat, rolling his eyes. “Mom, _please_ don’t quote the ancient texts at me. The dude who wrote them thought Aqualla was the only planet in the universe! For flarp’s sake, back then we didn't even know there were islands here!”

“Watch your mouth, Herschel,” Odellia snapped, barring her teeth a bit before finishing the quote, “‘Her waters creating plenty to eat, space to thrive, and the inspiration to prosper. Her waters shall protect and create. She is our birth, our life, and our death’! Now, while I don’t agree with purposely cutting off supplies, the islanders knew the risks of living on the surface when they moved up there. So what if something else happens? What if there is another Lady Domination or whoever? A hurricane or typhoon or drought? Will you assist them then, even though they could have easily just stayed in the ocean where they would not have to suffer?”

Awesome crossed his arms. Her words were harsh, and maybe there was even a bit of truth in them, but he wasn’t about to back down now. “If we had the funds to help them without majorly screwing anyone else over, then yeah, I’d help them. There’s a lot of good people up there, Mom. Lots of good things too. Yeah, maybe they’d have an easier time if they stayed in the ocean, and maybe they wouldn’t. Like, how would you know? There’s more to life than just bein’ able to make enough cash to eat.”

“Hmph, I am sure that _you_ know all about living a life that is strictly focused on self-pleasure rather than survival, prosperity or logic. Wouldn’t you agree, Herschel?”

The emperor clenched his fists. “...It’s Awesome. I’ve told you before, Mom, my name is Awes-”

“I am not going to refer to you using a ridiculous nickname that you received from your hoodlum, swamp-trudging ‘friends’.”

“Oh yeah, sure Mom, go ahead and insult my bros too! That’ll REALLY make me listen to what you have to say! Did you ever think that maybe it was more than just a dumb nickname to me? That it actually meant something because it came from my crew, or because it just made me feel good?!”

Odellia’s glare deepened, She didn’t reply to that statement, but it was clear she was getting frustrated with her son. “...When I heard that you had returned to Aqualla, I thought that perhaps you had finally matured some. But maybe I was mistak-”

“Mom,” Awesome said suddenly, looking her straight in the eye, “I can promise you that if I was the same shark I was a year ago, I wouldn’t even _be here_ right now. Aqualla would be the farthest thing from my mind, just like it has been for years. And I’d be across the Galaxy, drinking until it felt like I was having fun, or throwing parties in order to feel powerful and cool, or heck maybe I’d even be dead by now!”

That actually caused the former empress to stiffen a bit, eyes widening slightly. A lesser queen might have gasped at the statement, though she still managed to keep herself looking as dignified as possible.

Lowering his voice now, Awesome finished with, “So don’t… don’t just sit there and say I haven’t changed just because I’m not a ‘traditional emperor’. Kay?”

His mother stared back at him, a heavy silence now in the air. She watched him for just a moment or two longer before looking down and taking another sip of her tea. As for Awesome, he just waited, despite wanting nothing more than to swim away. Waited for more yelling, or more scolding or criticizing, or just... anything really.

After a long pause, she finally spoke up again. “I still remember the day of your coronation. You assured me that you would be a responsible and worthy emperor… And then that night you destroyed my off-planet summer home with your celebration party.”

Awesome sighed, shaking his head a bit. Not quite what he expected, but not too surprising. This wasn’t been the first time she brought it up. “Never gonna let that go, are ya?”

“It was completely _obliterated_. It is not exactly an easy thing to forget about, Herschel.” “Yeah, I know…”

Their second home had always been one of those ‘elite items’, something to casually mention the ownership of to other aristocrats but never actually use. How was he supposed to know that she had been planning on moving there once he took the crown? ...Or, maybe he had known, and just forgot in the moment, despite all the packing she had done the previous week.

For someone who claimed to love Aqualla and it’s ‘mother ocean’ so much, it always sorta seemed strange to him that she had wanted to leave it. Perhaps deep down she did want to see more of the Galaxy, or maybe she just didn’t want to stay on a planet where she could no longer call the shots. Though, knowing his mother, maybe she just moved away so she didn’t have to watch any of his epic failures while on the throne, prefering to say her “I told you so”s after the fact.

“...Okay, just for the record, I… I am sorry about trashing your summer home. I really was planning on just keeping it on the Island but then things just got crazy and, like, we all started getting crazy drunk ideas and… _yeahhhh._ ” Awesome then rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit awkward now. He knew it would only be an excuse in his mother’s mind but, at least now he could say he apologized.

He picked up his own cup. By this point, the tea was ice cold. With little thought, he threw the liquid over his shoulder. The tea flowed out of the cup, slowing as it mixed and evaporated into the surrounding ocean water.

“...What made you decide to come back here?” Odellia asked, finally saying the question that had been on her mind since she had first heard of her son’s return, “Did Lord Hater tell you to? Or was it the incident with…” She faltered a bit, something that definitely caught Awesome a bit off-guard. “With being captured?”

So she had heard about that - or at the very least, had heard his speech to his people. “It was sort of because of that, yeah… And also a lot of things. Like I said, Hatey- er, Lord Hater and his commander helped me out a lot. Gave me people to talk to, and to actually learn things from, surprisingly enough. Taking a step back from partying and following trends and grop-” he caught his mother’s scowl and quickly corrected himself- “ _stuff,_ focusing on training and other stuff and just dealing with all the issues I had in general - that all helped a lot.”

Awesome glanced away, though it was more out all the thoughts and memories coming back to him than any discomfort or sheepishness. “...At some point, we were doing missions in this system and I felt like… like, after everything, I just had to come visit home. Tc’ch, then I found out what Zath was doing and, well, the rest was history.”

“Hmm… And did you become emperor because you truly wanted to, or because you felt like you needed to?”

“Both,” he answered honestly, “I wanted to help the Islanders and anyone else here who might need a hand. Felt like I owed them, and I just wanted to give this emperor thing another shot. I knew what that meant too… And yeah, part of me just wanted to keep livin’ my life the way I was. But, what can I say? You gotta let the party end at some point.”

“But you are still partying, are you not?” Odellia replied, raising an eyebrow.

Awesome chuckled, which only made his mother narrow her eyes even more. “Yeah, but this time I’m not just throwing those parties for me.” Plus, these days his parties were much, MUCH less destructive. In fact, they were kind of the opposite. “From what I’ve seen and heard, they’ve been working too.”

“I see,” Odellia mumbled, her tone flat. Of course… Awesome had expected this reaction somewhat… but even so, he couldn’t help but deflate a bit at it. Even his successes weren’t enough… Not traditional enough, or mature enough. But even so, they were his. His choices and his wins, and if she couldn’t feel proud of that, then he would - and he could think of a few others that would feel proud too...

Daring himself to at least take a shot at it, Awesome spoke up once more. “You know… While I was traveling with Lord Hater, I actually ran into Dad, and-”

The former empress slammed her cup down. Honestly, Awesome was surprised she hadn’t shattered it. “Do _not,_ ” she began to say, her voice now like ice, “talk about him. Not in front of me.”

Her son’s frown deepened. “...He sort of helped me too, you know. He was the one that first got me thinking about actually changing, and not just look for a quick fix that would stop the nig- ...t-that would make things feel normal and safe enough for me to get back to my parties. I didn’t totally get what he was saying at first but, I know he was trying to help.”

Odellia just continued staring at the table. One of her hands flexed slightly. If they didn’t know to look for it, one would never guess that a simple bronze ring with a small pink pearl attached to it was missing from her finger.

“...I think he does regret leaving,” Awesome added. That was what he liked to think, at least. If anything, he knew that Makoto still cared about them, and for him, that was enough.

“...Actions will always speak louder than words,” his mother replied, her tone a bit softer now, “...I suppose that is now the one thing that finally separates you from him.” She looked him in the eyes once more. “You both left, but you are the only one that came back.”

Awesome blinked. “...Yeah. I guess I did,” he agreed, not really knowing what else to say.

The rest of their conversation went smoothly enough. Odellia asked various questions - whether it was out of curiosity or to quiz Awesome on his ability to answer informational questions about his planet’s economy, assets and other factors, he wasn’t sure. But he answered most of them without much trouble, satisfying his mother.

When there was nothing left to ask and no comments left to give, Odellia stood up. Awesome followed suit, and together they swam to the front door in silence. Side by side, not even looking at each other, yet surprisingly not completely turned off by each other’s presence either.

“I will be checking in frequently,” Odellia told him once they reached the door, “I can see clearly that nothing I say will deter you from your current agenda, but that does not mean I will simply stand by if or when you decide to make any irrational decisions.”

“Yeah, kinda figured that,” Awesome nodded, already sort of turning away from her, “Well, I guess I’ll see you on my next ‘inspection’ then.”

Odellia sighed through her gills. “I am not trying to be your enemy, Herschel,” she began to say.

“But you don’t trust me, either,” Awesome interrupted, “Which, yeah, after everything I totally get it. I’m sure there’s a lot of people here who don’t totally trust me. But I am _trying_ , Mom. I’m trying to be an awesome emperor for real this time. ...But just because I’m emperor doesn’t mean I’m gonna give up the things that I love or that make me who I am. I’m still gonna try to dress the way I want when I can, dance how I want, talk how I want to, hang out with the people I want to. I’m still gonna party and goof off, but I’m also gonna work hard.”

Smiling a bit as he remembered the words of a certain dorky skeletal lord, he stood tall as he insisted, “I’m still me, but I’m also gonna be **better**. I’m gonna be the emperor this place deserves, and I’m gonna do it my way.”

Odellia stared at him, a thoughtful frown now on her face.

She could still see the child that used to twirl and leap and dance down the long halls of the castle. The young prince who would cling to her dress at galas and make faces at dignitaries until she told him to stop. The teenager who, more often than not, would skip lessons to go hang out with his islander friends.

...However, she could also begin to see other things. She could see determination in his eyes, with both strength and experience now in his face. He no longer shied away from responsibility, nor did he completely give up his carefree and ‘chill’ attitude. She couldn’t list all the specific ways that he was but there was still no denying that her son was… different now. Not completely, of course, but enough for her to admit that a change had indeed been made.

“...I am glad that you did not perish on your travels, Herschel,” Odellia said suddenly.

Awesome blinked. “Um… Thanks?”

“And, while I still do not approve of some of your methods,” Odellia continued, “I do wish you success as well as good luck. ...Son.”

“...” Slowly, Awesome smiled. It wasn’t much, and ‘son’ wasn’t exactly a super affectionate nickname but, it was still something. It was still something. “Heh, um… Thanks. Thanks, Mom.” He bowed to her, and Odellia bowed in return before opening the castle doors and swimming off.

“...Well, that actually went sorta better than expected. Sort of. ...Tc’ch, who would’ve guessed?” Still smiling a bit to himself, Awesome left the castle as well, swimming towards the islands. “Just wait till the guys hear about this…”

()()()()()()()()()()

She stared down at the brown, bubbling liquid in her mug, sneering at it slightly. Coffee really was a poor substitute for tea, and she couldn’t for the life of her understand why so many creatures of the Galaxy preferred the former over the latter. Then again, Lord Hater didn’t look like much of a tea drinker, so perhaps this was to be expected.

...In fact, Lord Hater didn’t look like much of anything, except strange. She had expected for him to try and be intimidating, to be gruff or stern with her… But really, he just seemed kind of awkward.

However, awkwardness aside- “Your empire does indeed seem strong, Lord Hater,” she told him, “I am especially impressed by how much it has grown in just a year. I can... somewhat see why my son chose to allow Aqualla to become part of it.” Even if she was no longer in power, Aqualla was still her planet, and she wanted to make sure it was in good hands. And, even if she wasn't too impressed with the so-called 'lord of hatred' himself, he did at least have the power and status she thought he should have. 

Hater gave a small nod, trying (and failing) to not just see the royal in front of him as just his former enemy's mother. “Um, thanks Mrs- er, Empress Od- wait, no, um, _ex-_ empress?” Odellia glared at him, making the skeleton falter even more.

Thankfully, his commander came to the rescue. “We appreciate the compliment, your majesty,” Peepers stated, stepping forward from his spot at the side of his lord’s chair, “We consider Aqualla to be a very valuable and admirable planet as well. We can also assure you, your majesty, that we will keep it as strong and valuable as it is now.”

Odellia nodded. “Very good, Commander.” At least someone on this ship had some intellect. “And as the stronger member of this alliance, I also expect you to veto any foolish decisions or actions the current Emperor of Aqualla might make while on the throne. While my late sister's son was admittedly a controversial emperor, he did have the experience that the current one lacks, despite him meaning well. Of course, the Emperor should still have a great deal of power, as it should be, but I also do not want any of his mistakes to-”

“With all due respect, ma’am,” Peepers interrupted, “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about stepping in too often.”  

Odellia gave the Watchdog a bit of a look. “...I was simply making sure you knew how much power you had on Aqualla-”

“And we appreciate that, ma’am. But for what it’s worth… We don’t expect Emperor Awesome to make too many mistakes.” Peepers’ eye softened a bit as he continued. “He seems to be a lot more careful these days. Thinking a bit more before acting, as well as thinking about much more than just himself as well. He doesn’t want to make any more mistakes that could lead to huge consequences...”

“Yeah!” Hater nodded, “And even if he does mess up, I’m pretty sure he’d be able to fix it himself, or at least would try really hard to and not just brush it off to go party or whatever like he would’ve done before. I mean, I don’t know how good of an emperor he was before leaving Aqualla but, he seems like a pretty good one now.” The skeleton then smirked slightly. “Though, he can still be annoying as grop when he wants to be,” he mumbled.

Peepers shook his head, chuckling slightly. “Oh, no doubt about that,” he agreed, though there was little - if any - malice behind these words, “And I’m sure that’s one thing that’ll never change.” Looking back at the former empress, he continued, “But as we were saying, ma’am, for what it’s worth… I believe Awesome will make a fine emperor, and we shouldn’t have to worry about him too much. In fact, I’d say he’s more suited for the job AND title now than he was a year ago.”

Odellia hummed, turning her gaze back to her coffee. She stared into her brown reflection, thinking about the things she both had seen and heard in the past few days… and then, for the first time since she had stepped onto the Skullship, she allowed herself a small smile.

“Perhaps you are right, Commander… Perhaps you are right.”

**THE END**


End file.
